New Consumer Spending Shifts – Actionable Insights for Your Brand
Navigate current consumer spending shifts with 3 immediate action steps.
As the economic environment continues to evolve, one thing is clear: Americans aren’t retreating from the market—they’re making sharper, more deliberate choices. For brands, this means that capturing consumer attention today requires more than discounts or loyalty points. It requires strategic realignment with a shifting set of priorities.
Collage Group’s latest Economic Tracker reveals how consumers are navigating inflation, economic strain, and uncertainty—not with uniform cutbacks, but with selective re-prioritization. Essential categories like food and household goods are holding strong, while discretionary spend continues to soften. At the same time, nuanced behaviors across cultural segments point to an emerging opportunity: relevance through precision.
Download an excerpt of our latest Economic Tracker to explore the actionable insights guiding top brands through today’s economic complexity.
A New Consumer Logic
Value is no longer shorthand for low price. It’s a calculation that blends necessity, brand trust, and perceived benefit. Consumers are migrating toward lower-cost options, but they’re also weighing what’s worth their limited dollars. This evolving mindset calls for sharper value narratives and tiered offerings that don’t erode brand equity.
We’re also seeing the continued rise of the homebody economy. With fewer dollars going to restaurants, bars, and entertainment, consumers are redirecting attention inward—toward cooking, self-care, and in-home enjoyment. Brands that meet consumers where they live, literally, are best positioned to grow share of heart and wallet.
Crucially, these shifts are not monolithic. Multicultural consumers are navigating this moment in distinctive ways. Hispanic households, for example, report a disproportionate increase in grocery spend, while Black and Asian consumers are pulling back more noticeably in leisure and apparel. A one-size-fits-all strategy is no longer viable—if it ever was.
What Comes Next
In this moment of flux, the winning brands will be those that pivot intelligently: refining price architecture, adapting messaging, and leaning into culturally fluent marketing. Leaders who embrace these dynamics will do more than weather uncertainty—they’ll build lasting advantage.
Get a first look at the data reshaping American consumer behavior.
Download an excerpt of our latest Economic Tracker to explore the actionable insights guiding top brands through today’s economic complexity.